Lost Innocence
by Tsunade
Summary: A mushy love story between Minako and Heero. (Chapter 2 updated!) R/R please you hopeless romantics! Love ya!
1. First Love

Lost Innocence - Part 1  
  
Hey everyone. Well this started when some friends and I started this fanfic writing competition thing. I was assigned this Heero/Minako story and I just want to know how yall think. Strictly love story. Mostly feelings, little conversation, humor, and stuff like that. Just to let you know. Please review it or email me!  
I want you to clear your mind of all thoughts before you read it... it does make the story better. Well here goes...  
  
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Morning is a great time, a New Beginning. Even if the day before was a bummer, it's going to be all right today...  
  
This morning, in the busy city of Tokyo, people are just getting ready for work and school in the drowsy chaos. Weary children struggled up from their sanctuary, pets attempting to return to their dreamland despite all the noise around them. The sound of alarm clocks, coffee makers, radios, televisions, arguments, children screaming, birds chirping, cats meowing - all mixed together. Of course, it wasn't anything new to the people, that is, except for the visitors.  
  
A young soldier, irritated and awake, lay motionlessly on his hotel bed. Strings of blood reddened his eyes, and his head was on the verge to blow if these people wouldn't shut up, or so he thought. He tossed and turned, cursing. It's no surprise that he needed more sleep. After a half night of investigating the whole city thoroughly and then up working on his laptop for the other half, his brain was definitely ready to go on a vacation to la la land, so to speak.  
  
He wasn't here just to visit, of course. He was here for an extremely important mission. His last one, probably. His life was based around missions. He doesn't know how to live otherwise. No, nothing else satisfies him as much as successfully accomplishing a mission. Yet, no one knew what his real name was... but his codename, Heero Yuy, was what everyone called him.  
  
Heero has been seeking a quiet refuge while he was on this mission. He needed to get away from his annoying so-called "girlfriend", Relena. After being stalked for years by that girl, Heero decided that being loved is not such a great thing like everyone says. He really hasn't been exposed too much of love, though, being strictly trained to be a gundam pilot and everything. Not that he wanted to be. After this Relena experience, who would?  
  
After lying in bed for what seemed forever, the noise finally quieted down. Soon, Heero was fast asleep again. By the time he woke up, it was nearly 4 PM. The noises have returned. This time it was some girls yelling and laughing outside. Schools just went out probably, he thought.  
  
Heero yawned and didn't think much of it, until when suddenly, the laughter faded and he heard a voice say, "I heard a gundam pilot came to Tokyo."  
  
"For what?" Another voice inquired.  
  
"On an important mission, I think."  
  
Who would've told some schoolgirls about his arrival at Tokyo? Puzzled, Heero got out of bed and opened the shades. The bright light blinded him, but quickly recovering, he saw the face of the speaker. It was a blonde schoolgirl with a cheery smile on her face. She was about Heero's age. And it seemed as if she knew all about him.  
  
"Who is that girl?" He thought, "She looks familiar..."  
  
Suddenly, the girls all started whispering, then squeaking and laughing again.  
  
He shook his head as he closed his shades. Who cares? It's just another dumb schoolgirl, he thought. Maybe it was Duo who told them. He was in Tokyo, too, but for a different reason. Since there wasn't much more missions to take on after Oz was defeated, all the Gundam boys but Heero were sent to Tokyo to attend school.  
  
That girl, who spoke of Heero, was none but Minako Aino. She had a special identity as well. She had been a guardian of the great Moon Kingdom. Although the kingdom has fallen, she is now Sailor Venus, the child of love and beauty.  
  
Since her youth, this child had been blessed with beauty. Beautiful burnished strands of gold, deep luminous blue eyes, and an adoring cuteness that no one around her possess. Yet, this child was deadly cursed, by none other than her ex-loved one. She was to never succeed in love. This curse had been lurking about her since forever. Yes, she always appears happy, being a blonde and everything, but deep inside, it hurts more than any physical pain could cause. How many times before, she has fallen in love and impotented shortly after? Countless times.  
  
That evening, she sat at her window, tears forming in her eyes. Observing the world outside made her think. Why is she the only one suffering through this loveless time? All her love failure memories have suddenly rushed back to her. A thousand tears, all crowded around her eyes, struggling to come out...  
  
"What's wrong, Minako-Chan?" Artemis asked, as his head tilted with a big innocent look.  
  
Minako managed to smile. Even at times like this Artemis can manage to cheer her up. For a cat, he is really something, she thought.  
  
Drifting away from all the sad memories, Minako got up from the window seat and decided to take a walk. Maybe that'd calm her soul down a little.  
  
Minako's wardrobe opened with a slight creak. She grabbed a light jacket and a hat and stepped toward the door. She decided to leave Artemis at home, since she really needed time to think, alone. Soon she was on the streets. Tokyo at night wasn't any quieter than it is in the morning. Yet somehow this car honking, people talking noise drove her brain clear of distraction. It was easy for her to think in an environment like such.  
  
Pretty soon, thoughts took over and Minako no longer knew where she was going. She took the path, which she takes the most - the way to school. Pretty soon, she was walking across Heero's hotel.  
  
Heero was sitting at his window, observing the city, when the sight of Minako came into his view.  
  
"There's that girl again." He mumbled to himself, "I should find out why she knew this much about me. She could be a hindrance of my mission."  
  
Looking back out the window, he quickly grabbed a gun and headed towards the door. He practically flew down 5 flights of stairs and came just in time to see Minako right in front of him. He grabbed her and shoved her into an alley, then pointed the gun at her. Minako looked up, her innocent face trembling with fear. At that moment, for the first time, the two young souls came face to face with each other, knowing immediately each other's identity. Before, they both had heard legendary stories of the other, but never knowing that they will ever meet.  
  
For a few minutes, the two just stared at each other in silence, not knowing what to say. Finally, Heero put the gun back into his pocket. Something about that girl told him that if anyone troubles with his mission, Sailor Venus wasn't going to be the one. Then he turned and started to walk away.  
  
"Wait." Minako called in a quivering voice.  
  
Heero stopped walking. He turned around slightly and asked in a cold voice, "...What do you want?"  
  
"...Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why did you want to kill me?"  
  
Heero did not respond. He quickly picked up his steps and went back to his hotel. Minako did not bother to ask him again. She leaned against the wall quietly for a couple of minutes. When her feet came back to reality, she left the dark alley, shivering.  
  
Minako didn't know how she managed to get home that day. Her mind was still blank. She didn't know what had taken over. It wasn't exactly fear. After meeting at the gundam pilot face to face, she didn't feel scared. Instead, it fascinated her. Everything about him, his life, his gundam, had before been just a story, a fairy tale told around the school and a topic for her and her friends to gossip about. But now, it wasn't just that anymore. It was a mystery to uncover.  
  
The next couple of weeks passed in a flash. Many times, Minako and Heero have saw each other on the streets, but neither had spoken. The curiosity of the two grows as the days pass. How long will it be before one of the stubborn warriors give in and talk to the other?  
  
Some days later, Duo decided to come down and visit Heero. He found Heero lying on his bed, not doing anything in particular. He was just... well, lying there. He wasn't even working on his laptop.  
  
Well that's strange... Duo thought. Since the day they've met, Heero has been either working on his laptop or going on missions, never has he been just lying there, blank, as he is now.  
  
"Are you okay, man? You seem kinda spaced out!" Asked Duo.  
  
Heero totally ignored Duo, as if Duo didn't even exist.  
  
Suddenly, there were girls' voices outside his window once again, just like that day when he first saw the innocent face of Minako... Like a flash, Heero rolled off of his bed and darted to the window. Duo, surprised, quickly followed Heero to the window. Outside was a group of schoolgirls, laughing and chatting...   
  
A smirk appears on Duo's face, "Oh... looks like our ice king has melted!"  
  
"What're you talkin' about? See that girl with the red bow? I heard her talk about me the other day... and I'm afraid she knows something about my mission."  
  
"Uh huh. Sure. Want me to check her out for ya?" Duo laughs and leaves. This was a chance of a lifetime! Heero has never been interested in a girl before. Maybe he wasn't such a dull guy after all like they all thought he was.  
  
Duo rushed down the stairs, he walked casually behind the girls and kept a safe distance. Pretty soon, the girls split up and walked their own way. Duo managed to catch a clear look of the girl with the red bow.  
  
"Oooh oh that must be her. No wonder Heero has gone balistic! That girl's a babe!" Duo quickly returns to Heero's hotel room and took out his laptop. Heero was still there, lying on his bed, blank.  
  
"Heero, Heero, Heero." Duo sighed as he turned on his laptop, "It's okay to run after a girl, you know."   
  
"Shut up." Heero said as he turned over on his stomach.  
  
Duo laughed and started typing a mile a minute. Soon, Minako's picture appeared on the screen, along with some information. "Minako Aino." He nodded, "That's her name!" Another smirk came across Duo's face. "Go after her, buddy!" His laughter rang on, even though Heero sat there looking at Duo as if he was some kind of new species.  
  
The truth is, Heero wasn't exactly "melting" like Duo has suggested. But he has felt something in Minako that he felt in no one else. There was something about that girl that made him feel warmth in his heart that he's never felt before. It was something he couldn't describe. Duo, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't understand...  
  
After two more weeks sinking deep into a sea of curiosity, Minako couldn't stand it any longer. At a study meeting in Rei's temple, she blurted out everything about the gundam boy. She wanted to talk to him. Keeping this secret inside her was like putting more air in a balloon than it could hold. This wasn't like one of her other blonde crushes. This felt different, she thought. It just wasn't the same. Something about that guy made her heart fly and her body weak.  
  
"What?! You're in love with someone you don't even know the name of?" Cried Usagi.  
  
"No, no! I don't love him or anything... I'm not even sure if I like him... It's just that... Oh I don't know..."  
  
"How do you know he's a gundam pilot. I mean you didn't really talk to him and all that... right?" Asked Makoto.  
  
"How can you tell? He could be a murderer! You should always check with an adult before you..." Ami cut in.  
  
"Ami-Chan!" Usagi shot an evil eye at Ami.  
  
Suddenly everyone started quarreling. Minako couldn't take it anymore. She needed her friends to calm her down, but all they could do was argue and gossip about her new "crush". They'll never understand how she felt at that moment. It wasn't like anything else in the world. It was somehow different.  
  
"You guys. I don't know! I just know it. That's all..." Minako said as she clutched her head as if she's was suffering from a terrible headache, "I just know it... It's indescribable!"  
  
The rest of the Senshi looked at each other, shrugging. Minako usually didn't act like this before. She had always been the cheerful, funny girl they'd known. That was the only way to describe her. Now, it seems as if she changed. Like somehow, her inner self had matured. She just wasn't the same old Minako anymore...  
  
"I have to go." Minako suddenly said, as she stood up and walked toward the door, "I still have to finish up some homework."  
  
Everyone stared at her in silence. Being in love is one thing, but homework? Minako? Doing homework? Nah, they thought. She probably just needed some sleep... after all; it's Minako they're talking about. She didn't need to be worried about.  
  
But that night, Minako didn't go anywhere close to home. She had no idea where she was going. Everything around her seemed to be a blur. Her feelings, emotions, everything, was scrambling to come out.  
  
Suddenly. There he was, Duo, appearing out of nowhere. "Hey, babe! So you're the one Heero's after, huh?"  
  
"Heero..." Minako mumbled to herself. It sounded so familiar, so close... Something clicked in her mind. Heero... that's the name of the young gundam pilot...   
  
"I've gotta go." She said hastily and ran off.  
  
"Hey! Wait!" Duo called after her, wondering.  
  
She knew where she was going now. She went on the path most familiar to her - the path to school, that is. This was the day she must bring out her courage and speak to the gundam pilot. Her heart was beating like a thousand drums going all at once. It was a nervous beat, but yet excited. Finally, she was going to speak to him... She never really believed in love at first sight, but now she realized it. It was true, not just another innocent crush. She was in love.  
  
The closer she was to the hotel, the more nervous she got. She thought she was about to explode, if she didn't get there any faster. She wanted to fly, so she could get there easier. She needed to talk to him, more than anything at that moment... it was vital.  
  
Finally, after eternity, Minako arrived in front of the hotel. She braced herself and walked into the hotel. It was dim and empty. The manager sat behind her desk, fast asleep. The silence was bothersome. A sudden dawning came over Minako. She didn't know which room the young soldier was at. The dawning sickened her. She groaned and sat down on one of the hotel sofas.  
  
She gasped. Someone else was sitting across from her. It was Heero.  
  
Silence took over once again, like every other time the two saw each other. It was the most frightening form of sound. It rang in Minako's ears, louder than the normal morning noise. She wanted to talk, but couldn't find a single thing to say.  
  
Minako glanced up, moving her eyes about. Soon, the two sets of eyes meet. Minako's eyes sparked with happiness. She could hardly breath. It was a closer and clearer image than that day in the darkened alley...  
  
The usual steal cool blue of Heero's gaze softened as they met with Minako's bubbling mirth. Minako couldn't help it any longer. She managed to stand up. On tiptoe, Minako's embrace brought the two closer--close enough for craving tiers to meet. There was a moment of silence as her hand came to brush away Heero's hair out of his face, a face that she came to adore.   
  
"Heero," she whispered for only their ears to hear, "I...love you."  
  
His arms brought Minako even closer, as he finally gave into temptation. Quivering lips met in a spark of passion, generating a feeling they never felt before--a feeling so right, so intimate, so...special.  
  
-------------------  
  
That's for part 1... Part 2 will take a long time though. 


	2. First Loss

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Lost Innocence Part 2

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Author's Note

(A little rant here!) Do you know what makes me mad? The media and literature these days, all they seem to care about is SEX! Why? WHY? Why is such a shallow act what everyone must read and write about? Well, I'll show you that you can have perfectly good romance with**out** sex! (Or not written about anyway!) Understand? Okay, good. I have nothing else to say but apologize that this part took so long to get posted. No excuses, just my fault. Now, on with the story.

Alert: This story contains lots of mush, love, sap, intimacy, whatever you call it. Love it or hate it, it's up to you. (I know, so nice of me to warn you.)

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Italics are used to show characters' thoughts and/or significance of words.

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She sat in front of her window, gazing towards the mystical sun creeping below the western horizon. Time passes faster when you are in love, they say. Yet in her case, it could as well be the exact opposite. Time, has it passed at all since she last saw him? It could have been five minutes, or it could have been eternity. Regardless, it didn't matter. All that crossed her mind was the simple fact that he hadn't returned yet.

"Don't worry. I will be back."

He had sincerely promised her that, but just words weren't enough to comfort her deteriorated soul. She still remembers that moment when tears couldn't stop falling from her delicate cerulean eyes when he told her about his inevitable departure. He left so little time for her to adjust to this sudden change. Yes, time passed faster then...

And there she was, reluctantly letting go of the warmth in his hands. Standing there, shuddering in the cold, watching his shadow leave. A part of her had left with him, to wherever he was going, where he needed to be. A mission, he had said, and no more. She hadn't sought to find out what exactly he was up to, knowing that she would somehow interfere.

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Why me?

He was the perfect soldier, the one who was once the pilot of Wing Zero, and she was the Goddess of love and beauty, the drama queen. Their love was forbidden simply due to their identities. Yet, being practically foils of each other had brought them even closer together. They had managed to carry on without falling apart, to hold their hearts together, and to act as one.

The sun had disappeared below the skyline, leaving bits of red, pink, purple, and orange to its surroundings. Such a beautiful scene were only meant to be seen with a loved one.

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I wonder what he is doing now...

She continued to yearn for his return.

He picked up a pen and stared blankly at the sheet of paper that laid in front of him.

__

What am I doing? I never write letters...

As much as his mind hated to admit it, his heart was bursting with emotions, struggling not to explode. He wanted to place it all on paper, to express his true feelings. But never was he even a remotely talented writer. To say it was hard enough, but to write?

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Dear Minako, he began awkwardly. Immediately, his palms were sweating. His fingers shook violently.

"...Dear?" He held up his paper and examined it closely. Surely, he had written that. Strange as it seems, It brought a wry smile onto his face.

Heero closed his eyes and wiped his forehead with the back of his sweating hand. He could almost see her in front of him. Her bright smile, her gentle touch, her beauty as a whole... there and then, he knew exactly what he was going to write. Pen landed on paper and moved swiftly on a mind of its own.

Although having to endure long hours of writing, crossing-out, and rewriting, Heero was extremely satisfied. For that short swing of time, he was free from all distractions, in a world of his own. The words just flowed along smoothly after the first few... no trouble at all. And even though the product definitely wasn't perfect, but it was sealed with a part of his heart. _So you can have a part of mine, too. _He thought, blushing, happy that no one was there to catch him engulfed by feelings.

Carefully, he took out a clean sheet of paper and wrote a flawless final draft.

Leaning closer to the dim lamp, he read the letter over and over again.

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Something is missing.

He frowned and read it one last time before noticing the missing part. Those words that were forbidden to him...

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I lo... 

No. Scribbling it out, he shook his head violently. What was he thinking? Writing such... emotional things? _What have you done to me...? _He silently questioned Minako. _Why am I so vulnerable now? _It suddenly occurred to him that he needed to see her, to hold her, to just... be with her.

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I do NOT need you!

In a rage of anger, he torn the letter into pieces.

Days later, Minako received a letter from Heero that appeared torn and then taped back together. But of course, its appearance received no attention from her. The words were what mattered. Those were words directly from her love's heart, something she could live off of for days, or even weeks... She could've framed it, but she chose a better place for it. Carefully placing it under her pillow, she hoped that holding the treasure close to her heart would allow her to carry on until his return.

"Heero." Dr. J's voice echoed in as the slide door opened with a creak.

"What the hell do you want?" He responded coldly.

"Explain this."

Heero turned around, slightly annoyed. While it's his nature to hate being bothered while working, this time, it's for a different reason. His current and last mission was taking much longer to complete than he calculated. _At this rate, when do I get to see **Minako**? _To deny that yearn would be to lie.

In the dim light, he could see what the old doctor was holding up.

__

Shit. My rough draft letter.

He cursed himself for not remembering to throw such a personal evidence away.

"None of your business, old man." He retorted, quickly snatching the wrinkled paper from the doctor's hand and ripped it into tiny pieces.

"Heero." Dr. J started again, "I do not want such things to interfere with your mission."

"She did not..." He mumbled, returning to his laptop.

"Well, you will not have to worry about that anymore. I've taken care of the interference for you." Dr. J spoke in such a way that made Heero twitch. The sound of fingers rhythmically hitting the keyboard stopped as Heero turned around sharply and narrowed his eyes at the doctor.

"What do you mean by that, old man?"

  
"Tsk. Tsk. Such impoliteness." Dr. J shook his head, "This youngling affected you more than I thought she did. Minako Aino, is it?"

"I _said_, it's none of your business. Now get out."

"You might as well concentrate on your mission, Heero. She's gone."

"What?!" Distracted for the third time that night, Heero was becoming rather impatient. He did not want to deal with the old man any longer. But those words instantly caught his attention. It struck him inside, and it hurt.

He banged his right fist on the table in a rage. _Words do **not** hurt me!_

"What did you do?" He questioned, attempting to remain calm.

His uncertain voice sounded rather like a statement than question.

"Oh, she's not dead, of course..." The doctor's voice faded as the slide door closed behind his back.

Heero sat in his chair motionless for several minutes. _What did the old fool do to her? _Something jerked within his trepid self. For the first time in his life, his heart noticeably skipped a beat. A sensation flooded over him, one a mix of anxiety and agitation, worry and fear. The war was over and Dr. J was still ordering him to do this, to do that... Does he think that peace will never last more than a blink of an eye? For the old doctor, there was no difference between war and peace. There were always chances of an unexpected attack. Fight when there's a war... and if not... prepare for it.

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Beep. Beep.

"Ugh... what..." An annoyed voice mumbled.

Another voice groaned with disgust. "At a time like this? Why, who would --"

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Beep. Beep.

Still half asleep, the girl pulled back her long blond hair with one hand as she searched her bed with the other. Her hand stopped at a rectangular object, looking somewhat like a beeper.

"Hello?" She greeted whoever on the other end with a hoarse voice.

"Usagi-chan!" The voice from the other end was trembling with fear.

"Huh?" Overtaken by drowsiness, Usagi rubbed her eyes to take a closer look at who it was.

"Minako-chan?" Luna jumped a mile, "Why are you up so late? Did you discover another new enemy...?"

"Did you... find another cute guy?" Usagi asked jokingly, overlooking the seriousness on Minako's pale face.

"...NO!!!"

Her scream startled them both. Instantly, the demon of sleep had left them.

"What's wrong??" Usagi shouted into the communicator.

"I am stuck in this... this place."

"What?"

"I don't _know_ where I am! I just woke up here a minute ago!!!!" She sounded positively freaked.

"Okay, calm down." Luna instructed, "Tell us your surroundings. I mean, what does it look like? Do you recognize the place?"

Minako looked around. It was a dark, damp place. There wasn't much to see.

"Well, nothing, really." She aimed her communicator at the scenery behind her.

"I can't see anything." Usagi observed.

"There _is _nothing to see!" Minako pointed out, sighing.

"Do you have the slightest idea of where you are?" Luna asked hopefully.

"No..." Minako shook her head sadly.

"So we'll teleport there." Usagi suggested.

"But we don't know where she is."

"Can't we detect her presence and teleport to wherever she is?"

"Nope... can't do that... our teleportation device doesn't work that way."

"Oh..."

"But we can ask Ami-chan to help us out."

"Right. Minako-chan, stay right there and don't move! I'll contact you after we get Ami-chan."

"Okay... thanks, guys."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Nope. No clue where she is." Ami grumbled angrily as she typed away on her computer. "No presence of her is found anywhere within over a million light years!"

"What?" The rest of the senshi cried in unison.

"How is that possible?" Rei questioned in disbelief.

Ami pulled Minako's file onscreen.

----------

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NAME: MINAKO AINO

AGE: 19

HAIR color BLONDE

EYE color BLUE

CURRENT LOCATION: UNKNOWN/CANNOT BE DEFINED WITHIN RATIONAL DISTANCE

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"How far is 'within rational distance'?" Usagi asked.

"Perhaps the whole universe..." Ami replied.

"So she doesn't exist anymore!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"I can still talk to her with my communicator." Usagi said, confused. "So she's not gone."

The rest of the senshi whipped out their communicators.

"I'm talking to her first."

"NO, me!"

"Hey, I'm the most sensible one, I should talk to her."

"Hey, Usagi, come here."

Amidst all the yelling, Usagi was surprised she could still hear Ami's voice. Ami was pointing to the screen.

----------

__

CONFIRMING LOCATION...

ACCESS DENIED

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"What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Ami clicked some more buttons.

----------

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PERMISSION GRANTED TO THE FOLLOWING SIX (6) USERS:

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DOCTOR J

HEERO YUY

DUO MAXWELL

QUATRE REBERBA WINNER

TROWA BARTON

WUFEI CHANG

END PERMISSION LIST

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"Heero Yuy is that dangerous gundam pilot!" Ami exclaimed.

"The one Minako-chan is crazy about." Usagi added.

"But he's a killer..."

"Wait... Ami-chan, I think I finally know what's going on..."

The door to Heero's dark working lab suddenly opened.

An unconscious impulse turns Heero's head mechanically towards the door. The figure that stood there was small but full of determination. With the green light from his laptop, he could somewhat see her worried expression.

"Minako-chan?" He guessed hopefully in a whisper. An eagerness in his voice disgusted himself.

"Nope. Sorry." The voice was serious... in an innocent kind of way.

"Then who are you?"

"It doesn't matter. Just listen to me. Minako's stuck in some place where you know and have the permission to go to."

__

So at least she knows Minako.

"I know where she is." Heero whispered.

"What?! Then what are you doing here, still?" The girl cried furiously.

"My permission to go has been erased."

"And the others on that list?"

"All erased."

A soft sound escaped the girl's mouth that Heero couldn't quite distinguish. Could it be despair? Anguish? ...Vexation?

"Must I ask again who you are? And why would you care?"

"...How could I not?"

The mysterious girl swiftly turned around and lightly tossed an object over her shoulder. Heero caught it unwarily, scrutinizing her until her figure disappeared through the door.

__

What is this weird thing?

Heero stared at the object that the strange had girl left him. It was pink with strange looking buttons reflecting planetary signs. He carefully observed them from left to right. Mercury... Mars... Jupiter... and _Venus_? The lovely sign of Venus immediately jumped out at him. It was the brightest button of them all... Heero abruptly wondered what would happen if he pressed the sparkling button.

Curiosity took the best of Heero as he pressed the Venus button with trembling fingers.

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Beep. Beep.

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Could this be... a communicator?!

Each beep gave Heero a new light of hope. Sure, he acted indifferently about Minako early on when her friend was here. But, he knew he cared for her deeply. There was nothing left to deny, nothing left to lie about. For the past several hours, all he's been working on was to find a way to crack into the forbidden space where Minako was locked in. Forget about his mission. This was just far more important.

The beeping rang on. Heero pleaded silently for her to answer his call. He truly wanted to talk to her, to see if she's okay... to just hear her sweet voice...

"Hi, Us -... oh!"

Suddenly, the two went blank. All they could do was to stare at each other and smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I am not going to be your puppet anymore." Heero stated coldly as he pointed a gun at Dr. J.

The old man barely blinked as his mechanical hand continued to mess with the computer that sat stiffly in front of him.

"I know you too well, Heero."

Unfortunately, that was true. Heero slowly put his hand down, scowling. Dr. J had known that he would never shoot him.

__

But why can't I? That was the old me you know... I'm not **him** anymore!

"You ruined my life. Are you satisfied now with that I have become?" Heero questioned as anger began to build up inside of him.

No sound of words came from the old doctor.

"I have changed. You can_not_ take control of me anymore!" He screamed. The anger previously buried deep inside him has fully erupted, taking control of his consciousness. For once, he acted upon instinct, upon what he himself wanted, what his own heart desired. No longer was he Dr. J's toy, controlled by triggers and strings... he was a new person... a human, what he used to be at youth.

Dr. J finally turned around, "Heero... you would lose your dignity for that girl?"

"I had no dignity. I never did."

Without further hesitation, he firmly held his gun as his hand shot up stiffly once more.

"I will destroy you... I wanted to do so since very long ago. Forgive me."

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The next chapter, chapter three, will probably serve as the final part and conclusion (unless it gets too long). I promise you that it will not take another four months! I really did think about putting all of that here with the second part, but you know how I am with long chapters. Plus I did promise this chapter by the 25th didn't I? I will work hard to finish part three in less than a month, which is a short amount of time for me. Complaining, bickering, or pressuring me will only slow down the process. And meanwhile keep those reviews coming! Comments and suggestions are greatly welcome, although I already know exactly how the last chapter will go! ;) 

Thanks again, everyone! I love you all!


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